Audience Analysis: "Hard Knocks" Up From '14; SportsNet L.A. Draws New Dodgers Record

HBO on Tuesday night drew 933,000 viewers for the fourth episode of "Hard Knocks" featuring the Texans, marking the show's best premiere episode since '12, when the second episode of the Dolphins-focused show drew 984,000 viewers. The show's four premiere episodes to date have averaged 870,000 viewers, up 2% from the same point last year during the Falcons-focused series.

SAFE AT HOME: SportsNet LA, which recently gained carriage on Charter in the L.A. market, drew a 1.85 local rating for the Giants-Dodgers game on Wednesday night, marking the RSN's best Dodgers game yet. It passes the previous high of 1.7 for the same matchup on Tuesday night. The Giants-Dodgers series averaged a 1.64 local rating, marking a new Dodgers series record on the RSN. Over on MLB Network, last month marked the league-owned channel's best August on record, as the net averaged 123,000 viewers on a total-day basis, up 40% from last year. The net also saw double-digit percentage growth for all programming, including a 34% jump in game viewership. MLB Net remains on pace for its best Q3 ever. Meanwhile, Sportsnet, bolstered by the Blue Jays' winningest month on record, averaged 1.29 million viewers in Canada for games in August, up 11% from the same period last year. The net's Blue Jays pregame show also saw a 139% jump.

A HORSE IS A HORSE: NBC averaged 2.0 million viewers for the Travers Stakes last Saturday from 4:00-6:05pm ET, which saw American Pharoah finish second to Keen Ice. That figure is the best for the Travers in 20 years, dating back to 3.4 million viewers on ABC in '95. NBC Sports Live Extra also saw 199,000 live minutes streamed for the event, up 707% from last year's race.

FIGHT CLUBS: ESPN's third iteration of Premier Boxing Champions last Saturday drew 1.22 million viewers, marking the net's best boxing telecast since February 22, 1998. The telecast also was up 30% from the average for the the net's first two PBC telecasts. Meanwhile, UFC PPV prelims and Fight Night events are averaging 600,000 viewers in the adults 18-49 demo this year to date. Over the past year, UFC has acounted for 30% of all primetime hours on FS1, including 37% for '15 to date. 

WE'RE GOING STREAMING! Several NBC Sports digital properties have had recent success. CSNMidAtlantic.com last weekend had a record setting audience, with 1 million unique visitors on Saturday and Sunday, suprassing all combined single-weekend traffic numbers posted by the separate CSNWashington.com and CSNBaltimore.com during their existence. Meanwhile, Rotoworld.com posted its best August ever with 5.6 million uniques and 21 million visits, up 7% and 2% respectively.

NOTES: Big Ten Network -- in the Chicago, Cleveland-Akron, Columbus, Dayton, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, N.Y., Philadelphia, DC and Baltimore markets -- had its highest-rated August original-programming episode with the premiere of "Scarlet & Gray Days: Inside Ohio State Training Camp."

The charts below list final viewership figures from recent sport telecasts.